Stephan’s Top 100 Video Games

60. Titan Souls – Acid Nerve (PS4, 2015)

I bought Titan Soulson the Devolver Digital brand alone. They’ve published some of my favourite games of all time and when I saw the screen of the little person holding a bow with a single arrow in their quiver I was intrigued. What I would soon learn is that Titan Souls revolves around the simple limitation that the player has only one arrow they can fire at a time, that they then have to retrieve if they want to shoot again. That and the entire game is populated by bosses, these pattern solving encounters became some of my favourite combats in any game I’ve played. I still think about them years later.

59. The Wolf Among Us – Telltale Games (Xbox 360, 2013)

Once again, I knew nothing about The Wolf Among Us before diving in except that it was from the same studio who gave me The Walking Dead, one of my favourite stories I’ve ever experienced. But I soon discovered that the dark, neon-infused world of the Fables would also become one of my favourite stories ever. Bigby and Snow are a team as awesome and memorable as Lee and Clem were in The Walking Dead. I loved the gritty reimagining of fairy tale characters I had grown tired of seeing so many different ways before. The mysterious murders, reality bending moments and awesome twist ending make The Wolf Among Us an awesome experience.

58. Nidhogg – Messhof Games (PS4, 2014)

I love games I can pick up with someone new, play a few rounds and then get into the rhythm.Nidhogg is one of the best examples of this type of game I’ve ever encountered. There’s such a low barrier to entry but once two people get into it the nuances of what you can do with sword throws, wall jumps and ledge grabs it quickly leads to fast-paced, hilarious times.

57. Whoa Dave! – Choice Provisions (PS Vita, 2014)

The original Mario Bros. was one of the first arcade games I ever played. I picked up the concept of taking out turtles by jumping up from below simple enough, but I still got bored pretty quickly. That’s where Whoa Dave! comes in. It’s a very simple game mechanically and visually, but I get into the flow of hopping, grabbing eggs and smashing foes so smoothly that I cannot stop playing. Whoa Dave! is an absolute blast.

56. Dead Nation – Housemarque (PS3, 2010)

Housemarque has absolutely cornered the market on arcade, twitch based shooters. But before Resogun, Alienation and their latest hit Nex Machina there was Dead Nation. I wasn’t interested at all at first glance. Another zombie game? Really? But past the overused zombie premise, there’s a really tight, really fun top down shoot ‘em up that is even better played co-op. With loads of upgrades, multiple difficulties and high scores to beat over and over there’s a lot to do and a lot of fun to be had in Dead Nation.

55. Towerfall Ascension – Matt Makes Games (PS4, 2013)

As I mentioned with Nidhogg, I love games that I can pick up with someone new or a group of people and quickly get into the rhythm of play. Towerfall Ascension is one of those games and delivers competitive, fast paced action with steady controls and loads of replayability. I’ve played Towerfall with loads of different people over the years and I consistently have a lot of fun and so do they.

54. Ryse: Son of Rome – Crytek (Xbox One, 2013)

Arguably the most underratedXbox One launch game, Ryseis an absolute gem. I’m a sucker for Ancient Roman settings and stories. I love The Eagle, Gladiator and I’ve been to Italy with my family to see many of the iconic Roman locations in person. Ryse takes what I’ve always loved about the Roman lore and mythos and distils it into a really focused and purposeful story. The sword fighting combat shines through, and I spent dozens of hours online mowing down foes with strangers. It’s a great game and personally one of the most underrated games I’ve played.

53. FEZ – Polytron Corporation (PS4, 2012)

Phil Fish said he’d kill himself if FEZ didn’t release. It’s from that twisted mindset the obvious passion project FEZ was born. The immense care and love and attention to detail that went into FEZ is clear to see, although nothing, especially a video game, is worth committing suicide over. The passion that drove Fish to finish this game shines through. I really enjoyed the perspective flipping, crazy puzzle solving worlds that make FEZ such a delightful and memorable experience.

52. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Naughty Dog Inc. (PS3, 2009)

Saying Uncharted 2 is my least favourite Uncharted game is like saying Pizza-Pizza is my least favourite pizza. It’s still pretty damn good. The train sequence is a set piece to behold. Although Chloe’s insertion into the series as an obvious “Betty and Veronica” trope to play off of Elena was very disappointing, they were still memorable characters nonetheless. I loved the Nepal setting and snowy mountainscapes, and the guide Tenzin is still one of my favourite Uncharted characters even though he and Drake couldn’t even speak the same language. Shambala awaits!

51. Mass Effect 3 – BioWare (Xbox 360, 2012)

After 200 hours of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, I was ready for the finale. Ready to see what the payoff would be for all my hard work trying to save the galaxy from the Reapers. And I wasn’t disappointed. Well up until the end I wasn’t, that ending sucked. But everything before that was more glorious Mass Effect for me to enjoy. Characters new and old to befriend, fight with and fight for. Gut wrenching moments and scenes that had been built towards for years and so many hours. It’s not the perfect conclusion to one of my favourite series but it’s a damn fine one.